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Ad of the Day

LVCVA "The Reading"

Brand: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
Agency: R&R Partners
Review Date: October 07, 2009

Ad of the Day - 10/07/09
It probably says something unflattering about human nature that the reading of a will is a reliable source of comedy in numerous movies, plays and TV shows -- and even the occasional commercial. Anyhow, this spot for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (via R&R Partners) uses it to good advantage. The deceased is the star of the show as we witness the playing of a video in which he announces his bequests to the assembled near-and-dear ones. One of the conventions of the will-reading genre is that grasping relatives and significant others are dismayed by what's left (or not left) to them, and we get some of that here. But the distinctively Las Vegasesque touch comes when we learn that the real prizes in this man's estate -- "the Monet, the Bentley and the Italian villa" -- have been bequeathed to his "favorite concierge ... for reasons that will remain between us. Right, John?" Carrying the city's "happens here, stays here" ethos beyond the grave, the spot reminds us that a trip to Las Vegas is an indispensable part of a life well misspent. If such a long-running campaign is going to stay fresh, it'll need some off-beat ingenuity, and this spot displays just that. --Mark Dolliver

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Overall rating:

(1.83

) Poor

12 Comments

1. beth comments:

January 05, 2010

It's nice that they are carrying on the "what happens in Vegas.." line we all know so well without having to actually say it. However this ad doesn't necessarily make me want to run out and party the night away on the strip. As for the comments about it being a gay ad, I don't think that's the point at all. He's willed these things to his concierge which means he's the dude who set him up with all the fun things he did, wild adventures, show tickets, took care of getting him new pants if the ones he was wearing went missing etc. Implying that John probably helped him out of more than one sticky situation while in vegas not that they had an affair.
2. me comments:

November 09, 2009

The girl holding the dog looks like Scarlette Johansson.
3. Steve comments:

October 12, 2009

Not that there is anything wrong with going after the gay market, but this isn't even a good gay ad. What happened to the witty writing and TV production that made you want to visit Sin City?
4. Mark comments:

October 12, 2009

Wow. This makes ad me want to visit the beautiful resorts and casinos and spas and shows and restaurants and stores of Las Vegas. Not! I don't mind fresh and unexpected creative advertising that drives home a strong message, but this an old VW idea without the brilliant copywriting, art direction and production. Other than that, it's terrific.
5. Bernice comments:

October 12, 2009

The only reason I gave it one star is because it won't let me give no stars. For such a great fun product like Vegas, I can't believe this is what got produced. Shame on the agency for presenting it. And shame on the client for buying it. The worse part is that is not going to help fill a single bed in Vegas.
6. Carisa comments:

October 12, 2009

This is not only poor travel advertising, it' really a terrible idea and execution. Did anybody smile after seeing this? Would anybody want to visit Vegas after seeing this? On the positive side, a lot of agencies are probably looking forward to an agency review in the near future.
7. David comments:

October 12, 2009

Remember when the Las Vegas used to set the bar for tourist destination advertising a few years back? What happened??? Did the good creative director and team change or did the agency just run out of fresh ideas? So sad.
8. Al comments:

October 09, 2009

I like that Vegas encourages infidelity and a hedonistic lifestyle. It is Sin City. As long as you cheat on your wife and morals-and not the Casinos! Is that Contradictory?
9. JAC comments:

October 09, 2009

It just shows again the LVCVA wallows in the misfortune of others. loyalty,respect, morality,some of the LVCVA core values seem to be none existent.I think Niel and Bob are right on.
10. P & M comments:

October 08, 2009

Funny stuff, our only disappointment with it was that we didn't get the Monet!! Keep up the good work.
11. Neil and Bob comments:

October 08, 2009

Ironically, lVCVA executives are inspired by misfortune and dismay. While ignoring laws and by-laws in the workplace and treating their long-term dedicated employees like relatives of the wealthy who inherit NOTHING. SHAME ON YOU!
12. Pat and Duke comments:

October 07, 2009

Hi Lins Still love "WHAT GOES ON HERE STAYS HERE" We played this ad over several times to really enjoy the expressions on the faces of the "bereaved".